I spent some time with John Ewoldt at the Star Tribune over the past week or so talking about this site and my experiences (and yours!) with the various online retailers. I think he did a nice job on it.

Before you go, sign up for my feed! If you have a feed reader, sign up by clicking here, or enter your email address in the box below to start getting GlassyEyes posts delivered to your inbox. You'll never get any spam, and each email includes an unsubscribe link (that really works!). Thanks!

7
comments:

Do you think there is a correlation between cost and insurance covering eye glasses? I remember thinking that prices went way up suddenly at a small shop in Iowa City (in the early 90s) when a U of I health plan started covering some of the cost. I love Costco frames, by the way.

Ira, I can't believe it -- last week I found your flickr profile because I was looking for photos of digging fossils at Lilydale (I live in Minneapolis) and I ended up seeing all of your glasses photos. And now you are in the Strib! How odd! I have spent piles of money on glasses and sunglasses, but no more. Thanks for doing your homework. I'll never buy an overpriced pair of glasses AGAIN.

Really I think that you are the sucker. Because of the fact that realistically you are probablly getting some cheap lens product that cost the manufaturer about $1.00 to buy and at most $5.00 to put some cheap low quality anti reflective coating onto the lens itself. Not to mention the fact of that bulk purchased, knock off and or low quality, won't stand up to anything, turn your head green frame that was probably purchased for $5.00 or less. Now what's the mark up in that? You just paid $90 for a pair of glasses that cost whoever you bought it from $20. So yeah you are right there is a 500% markup. But wait that mark up is on the glasses that YOU bought now who's the sucker.Mark up in retail stores is higher then private practices I would say common mark up is anywhere from 2 to 3.5 times depending on who the retailer is and where the retailer is located.What about service? What is going to happen is all of us serving those of you silly people who buy their glasses elsewhere and need them adjusted or repaired will start charging you for our services if you glasses aren't purchased from the place you are going to get you glasses serviced. I.E. nosepads, screws, adjustments etc. and in the pair of glasses that the prescription was wrong it how did you find out that it was wrong? What happens when you get bifocals and they don't work because you didn't have anyone to properly measure your bifocal height and pd. You will have to pay for these to because FYI pd aren't typically taken by you doctor thus it is not a part of your medical record and it doesn't have to be done for you. Normally only taken when one purchases eye glasses. You also don't have anyone to instruct you on how to use your new lenses, what you can expect from your new lenses or to tell if that prescription is right or wrong. You will have to pay for these types of services because no one is going to want to help you are so savvy and don't want to pay for some of the services that come along with purchasing you glasses from a reputable private eye doctor practice. Wake up and smell the coffee buddy. You get what you pay for. Like a car which is typically going to give you better ride, life, have less problems etc..a Kia or a Mercedes. You get what you pay for. When you pay nothing you get nothing. Always remember to compare apples to apples and oranges to organges because although products my appear similar there are many many many many differences that some lenses and frame superior to others. And these superior products are NOT available to just any one!!

I think I'll be just fine with my perfect prescription lenses and avoiding the overpriced name brands. They're frames. They hold hunks of plastic in front of my face. Give me a break. The lenses in these are every bit as good as the lenses you get to charge ridiculous rates on.

If I have to pay for an adjustment, I will (note to you -- in all twelve pairs I've gotten, none have needed your help). In all but the worst case, a trained monkey could pop a new screw in or replace a five cent nose pad.

These arguments don't hold water and for the first time in my life I've been able to afford prescription sunglasses. My eyes are better off now than when I was being gouged for the last thirty years.

As a retired Mpls. optician I can tell you first hand that we bought our lenses in bulk and most single vision lenses cost less than $2.00 a pair, Bifocals and progressives cost us as much as $6.00 a pair. Frames ..Name brand, up to $10.00, same quality genarics cost us much less. Online is the way I buy all of my eyewear, New glasses in under two weeks!!

Saving the WorldfromOverpriced Eyeglasses!

.

Affiliate Disclosure
In accordance with guidelines from the FTC I am required to inform you that some of the links on this blog/website, are in fact affiliate links, and if you purchase products through these links I get paid a commission. The amount of commission varies from product to product.